Over the past couple of months I have been sharing photos of my home.  Today I am sharing photos of our upstairs bathroom.

The pros: Two words- beautiful claw foot tub!   Also, the room is supre bright.

The cons: Totally bland.  Where does one hang a mirror?  Right now I have a cheap one sitting on a stool behind the door.  No shower in sight.  It is a damn good thing we have another bathroom on the main floor.

Design suggestions are welcome.  I have no grand vision for this room.  WHat do you think would look good?

Over the past few weeks I’ve been feeling like I decorated myself into a corner.  I kept asking what to do with a floral bed and bright blue walls.  The first set of bedding I bought was too white and sparse.  I wanted something really neutral but it just didn’t work.

So I stripped the bed and got a new set of sheets and they look a million times better.  I really like the green accent on the duvet cover.  It ties in nicely with the bed upholstery and the green crystal knobs.

Here is a closer look:

Since finishing grad school I have gained 35 pounds.  When I stepped on the scale on Sunday morning I thought, how the hell did that happen?!

Here are  a photo of me back when I finished Graduate school:

Here is a photo of me these days…

Then I sat down to think of it and I think the weight gain and be attributed to a few key factors.

So something has to change.  I know I need to clean up my eating and get back on the exercise train.  Instead of focusing on weight loss, I am going to focus on being the healthiest I can be.

To get back on the healthy eating train I am going to follow Leslie Beck’s Longevity diet. Lesley Beck is one of Canada’s leading nutritionists and has worked as a Registered Dietician in Toronto since 1989. Leslie is recognized by the media as an authority on nutrition and food issues. She writes a weekly column in The Globe and Mail, and she is the author of 11 best selling books, Including the Longevity Diet. Born and raised in Vancouver, BC, Leslie obtained her Bachelor of Science (Dietetics) from the University of British Columbia and proceeded to complete the dietetic internship program at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. She studied a Masters in Epidemiology at the University of Toronto. She is a member of Dietitians of Canada and the College of Dietitians of Ontario.

I am not going to get into specifics about the Longevity Diet, but basically involves eating a healthy amount of calories (around 1500 for the average woman) and making sure that you are squeezing as much nutrition as possible out of those calories.  To make the absolute most out of your calories Leslie recommends that you incorporate  as many healthy food choices into your diet as her list of top 25 foods for longevity.

Over the next year I am going to focus on incorporating these foods into my diet and I will share the new recipes along with you!  So watch for my first post later this week. I am working on liking beets.  Wish me luck.

Lesley Beck’s Top 25 Foods For Longevity (Source: The Globe and Mail)

1. Almonds
2. Avocados
3. Beets
4. Berries
5. Black beans
6. Cabbage
7. Broccoli
8. Dark chocolate
9. Flaxseed
10. Garlic
11. Green tea
12. Kale
13. Lentils
14. Oats
15. Olive oil
16. Oranges
17. Pomegranates
18. Red bell peppers
19. Red grapes
20. Salmon
21. Soybeans
22. Spinach
23. Sweet potatoes
24. Tomatoes
25. Walnuts

After a long hiatus, I’m back!!  Things are good here, I’ve just have not been in the mood to blog.  It was nice to take a few weeks off and not think about the blog.  I’ve been knitting, going to the gym, cooking without taking pictures, and chilling in front of the tv.

We have made a couple changes to our bedroom.  We moved my desk in and added a mirror.  It is nice to have a nice bright space to get ready in the morning.  Up until we made this change, I used to get ready in our laundry room.

Here is a little peak at what the desk looked like when I bought it for $10.00

One more look at my dressing table nook. Such a great place to get ready in the morning!

I love long weekends.  It is so nice to be at home on a sunny Monday morning!  While I savor the last day of Easter Break I thought I would share a couple photos of our table set for Easter.

 I love the spring colors!  Did you have a nice Easter weekend? I hope so!

This weekend we bought new bedding.  It is white with a tiny bit of blue embroidery.  While it looks better than the old brown stuff, I am not totally sold.

I am wondering if it is too white.  I will think about it for a couple of days.  It can always go on the spare bed and we can go back to square one.

What do you think?  Too white? Would something with a little more cream work better.

When you were a teenager did you used to cover your walls with pictures from magazines?  I did.  In junior high I used to cut out black and white Calvin Klein ads and hang them up on my walls.  I got the idea for my older, cooler cousins Jackie and Christine.  On the weekend, I decided to channel my 14 year old self and cut out pictures from magazine, Uppercase.

Unlike my 14 year old self, my 28 year old self feels that frames are an absolute must.  We used these old dark IKEA frames that had been stashed in the basement for the past two years.  I think they need to be painted white but for now they are OK.

Talk about an affordable way to spruce up your walls!   It was hard to cut up my Uppercase magazines but I feel so happy every day I look at the pictures hanging above my bed.  Totally worth the sacrifice!

Another week and another Food Matters Project.  This week’s recipe, Coq au Vin,  was chosen by Evi and Sam over at Fifth Floor KItchen.

Coq au Vin seems like the perfect Sunday night meal.  Especially here in Calgary where Sunday was a cool and windy day.  While the dish turned out well, I have to say it is not my favourite dish to date.  I am not a huge fan of French Food.  I like things that are spicy with more Asian or Mediterranean flavours.  Despite this fact, this was a good solid meal.  The flavor was good and the chicken was super tender.

I only made a few modifications to this recipe.  I forgot to pick up bacon so we had to go without.  I also traded in the eggplant for carrots.  FInally, I increased the red wine content and used the entire bottle.

Overall, a solid recipe.  While it was not my favourite, it was still quite good.  I probably wouldn’t make it again but it still another solid recipe fromt he Food Matters Cook Book.

Back in January, I posted a mood board for how I would like to decorate our front entrance.  Last night I realized I have never shared photos of what the room looks like now.  So here you go… the before photos!

Here is a view of our entrance from the front door.  While we don’t have a closet we have these great built in cabinets.

Instead of a closet, we use this coat hanger for our outdoor stuff.  It is not really out style but it is functional.

The other thing that is kind of nice about this space is that it can be shut off from the rest of the house and the clutter is not visible in our main living space.

The room is also super bright with two big windows!

So we have lots of good things going on in this room and all it really needs is some paint and color.  New lights are a must as well.

These days I feel like everyone I know has a new baby, is pregnant or is trying to get pregnant.  Please note that Eric and I do not fall into any of these categories.  We are quite happy to be the fun aunt and uncle for now!  So what does this baby boom mean for me?  I am in gift making over drive and have been working on these adorable double sided flannel blankets.

This tutorial comes in two parts.  Part one is all about sewing the blanket.  Part two will cover finishing  the blanket off with a lovely crochet edge.

To complete part one of this project you will need:

• 1 1/4 yards of flannel (I choose a super cute woodlands print)
• 1 1/4 yards of corresponding flannel (I choose a hot pink chevron)
• An iron and ironing board
• A sewing machine and basic sewing supplies including scissors, matching thread and a seam ripper (I always make lots of mistakes)

2. Lay your fabric out on the floor, right sides together

3. Cut around the edges of your fabrics, to trim and square the two pieces .  When you are done, you will have two pieces of fabric that are the exact same size.  Pin around the edges of the blanket leaving one six inch gap in the middle of one side of the blanket. To mark the 6 inch gap I used two red straight pins.  You will use this six inch hole to pull the blanket right side out.

4. Now it’s time to start sewing your blanket!  Start sewing the square at one red pin and end at the other.  I used a a 1/8 inch seam allowance on my blanket.

This means you are sewing a square but leaving a six inch hole at the top of the blanket. As mentioned above, you need this hole so don’t close it up!

Pull the blanket right side out through the 6 inch hole.  WHen you complete this step, the right sides of the fabric should be facing out.

Iron the blanket and flatten out your seams.  I told you sewing is really about ironing.

Next week, we will close up that hole and add the crochet edge.  Until then, admire your super soft flannel baby blanket!